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Totemic

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Beautiful exhibition at Messums London of work by contemporary artists in the theme of the totemic. Like many of the galleries over the summer this was an excuse to show work by artists they represent and in this case it was themed around the idea of totems. The blurb said "Across cultures it (the totem) has always symbolised more than a mere object: a spiritual and social emblem, imbued with energy, almost living, carrying the history of a people within it. …..But, at the heart of this exhibition is the sense that a totem is a unique expression of who we are, and of what we have chosen to value." I'm not sure I got that from the works but there we a number of artists I really like represented so I was happy. There was a beautiful small sculpture of three men by Laurence Edwards and I always delighted to see Antony Williams exquisite egg tempera portraits. New discoveries for me included wacky life sized human figures in shades of blue creating pieces of furniture ...
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Seeking New Landscapes

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Interesting exhibition at Flowers Gallery of landscapes, both real and imagined, by contemporary artists. This was a lovely selection from the traditional to the more abstract. I loved this one by David Helper which, on first glance, looked very usual but when you got close you realised the brown layer at the bottom is earth applied to the canvas. There was a striking work in the window by Tai Shan Schierenberg and a lovely realistic picture of wild flowers by Gerard Neumaier which felt quite Flemish. I was interested to see a Welsh landscape by David Dawson who was Lucien Freud's assistant and inherited his studio. It's good to see him work which is less Freud like. On the more abstract side I loved Lucy Jones' bright picture of trees along a path. Closed 7 August 2026
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Helen Marten : This Weather

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Engaging video installation at Sadie Coles HQ by Helen Marten. The work consisted of five monologues voiced by women with images which seem to act as a stage set for the words. As far as I can make out Marten wrote the scripts and the film was animated by Adam Sinclair with a sound by Beatrice Dillon. I didn’t have time to watch all five but I happened to be there as "The Lover" began so I sat and watched it and was transfixed. The words were almost poetic with some lovely imagery that I wish I been able to note down. Closed 12 September 2026
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Hassan Hajjaj : My London Rockstars. End to the Estates

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Bright exhibition   at Sotheby's of new work by Hassan Hajjaj. I have often seen Hajjaj's work in exhibition but not seen a whole show devoted to him. He produces colourful, clear photographic portraits surrounded by a frame of multiple food tins. These works featured London cultural figures. It's only reading the blurb again now that I've realised Hajjaj designs the clothes that the sitters wear. The show included a fascinating video of him taking the pictures. I hadn’t realised before that they are photographed in the street against a textile pinned to the wall behind. I liked the way the figures seem, to have been photographed from low down so that they proudly look down to the viewer. Closed 7 August 2026
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Christo : Air

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Fun exhibition at Gagosian Grosvenor Hill presenting two works by the late Christo. “Air Package on a Ceiling” was conceived by Christo and his partner Jeanne-Claude in 1968 but had not been realised until this show. The work consisted of a hanging of plastic sheeting supported by rope with the idea of containing air and therefore making air a tangible object. The second work is from 1981 “Wrapped Automobile—Volvo, Model PV-544” which shows a wrapped car which had been owned by Serge de Bloe, a dealer and friend of Christo. When he bought a new car he didn’t want to get rid of the old one as it had sentimental value so he asked Christo to wrap it. It can’t help but make you smile. These two works were shown alongside sketches and plans for other unrealised projects.        Closed 21 August 2026 Review Guardian  
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Vestiges

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Interesting exhibition at Annely Judy Fine Art presenting five contemporary artists who look at memory, inheritance and traces of the past. I think my favourite was Lauren Moses who draws on historic images and deconstructions them into swathes of colour. There seems to be a fashion for his at the moment and I like it. I also liked Laura Footes big views from windows expressed in beautiful blues and greens. Reading since I gather they come from her experience of chronic illness but I saw beauty and calm. Jess Allen shows fine, small sections of faces in close up implying the fragmentation of the self,    Paul Majek draws on his families archive and memory to look and loss and change and Cece Philips   presents interiors with people missing or misty often with the figure being a self-portrait. Closed 28 August 2026
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Online Curator Talk : V&A Illustration Awards

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Interesting online lecture from the Victoria and Albert Museum introducing the 2026 illustration awards exhibition at the museum. Curator Annemarie Bilclough explained how the awards operates then talked us neatly through the runners up and winners in each category. She ended with the overall winner, Annabel Wright, who then joined the talk to tell us more about her poster campaign for an exhibition “Views of Glasgow : A Window into Communities” for the Hunterian Museum. She explained the images in the work and how she re-ordered them for various formats. I have been to the exhibition since and it was useful to have done the talk as the categories were not that clear in the show.
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